Elevator safety device.



L. HAMILTON. LEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE. APrLIoATIoljI FILED 11111.23, 1911.

1,025,871. Patented May 7, 1912.

akamu COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON. D. C.

LEE HAMILTON, 0F CLAIRE, IOWA,

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay 7, 1912.

Application filed August 23, 1911. Serial No. 645,481.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Le Claire, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Elevator Safety Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in elevator safety devices, and has particular application to an appliance designed to be used in connection with either freight or passenger elevators, so that should the supporting cable or chain of the car become loose, or break, the device will immediately operate to engage with the side posts of the shaft and catch and hold the car.

In carrying out the present invention, I propose to provide a safety device which will embrace the desired features of simplicity and strength coupled with efficiency and positiveness in operation.

It is also my purpose to provide a device of the class described which is normally held out of operation when the elevator is in proper working condition, but which will immediately be thrown into place to catch and hold the car should the supporting cable break.

With the above-recited objects, and others of a similar nature in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of a car provided with my improved safety device. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken through one of the top ends of the car. Fig. 3 is a horizontal top sectional view, taken through the cylinder of my safety appliance, the safety operating position being` shown in dotted lines.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the numerals ll designate the vertical guide beams of the elevator shaft, and 2 designates the elevator car as an entirety, the latter having the side members 3-3 connected to the cross bar 4 of the base at their lower ends and to the top cross bar 5 at their upper ends. The upper ends of the side bars are slotted as at 6, While 7 indicates a recess formed in the outer face of each side bar and Within which is secured the plate 8 having hinged to the upper end thereof the arm 9, extending vertically in the adjacent slot 6, this slot,

as will be seen being deeper at the top end of the side bar than at the point of juncy tion of the arm with the plate, this 'tapered slot permitting the upper ends of the arms to be drawn inward thereof, as and for the purpose hereinafter described.

The numeral 1() designates a connecting cable or chain connecting the eyes 11-11 of the two arms, said cable or chain passing around the guide pulleys 12--12 journaledin the slots 13-13 of the top bar 5.

14 designates a hanger provided with a pulley 15 over which the connecting cable passes, while 16 indicates the suspending cable of the car connected at 17 to the hanger.

Extending transversely of the car directly below the top bar of the frame thereof, and between the two side members is a metallic tube or cylinder 18 slotted longitudinally at the ends as at 19e-19, the ends of the cylin der or tube being fastened as at 2O to the side members of the frame. The tube or cylinder is divided into two sections by means of a partition block 20 arranged centrally thereof. Fitting snugly within each section of the cylinder is a powerful ycoil spring 21, the outer end of each spring bearing against the head 22 of the follower rod 23, the rod projecting beyond the end of the cylinder and through the alining transverse bore 24 in the adjacent side member of the car, the extreme outer end, of each follower rod bearing against the adjacent vertical hinged arm 9, the springs being eX- pansion springs and normally thrusting or forcing the follower rods outward, although when the car is in proper working position the pull of the cross connecting cable drawing the arms inward compresses the spring and holds the follower rods pressed inward. Connected to each follower head is a short cross arm 25, the oppositely projecting ends 26 of which extend through the slot in the cylinder and are pivoted at 27 to the links 28, the latter in turn being pivotally connected at 29 to the lever arms 30, which are fulcrumed at 31 to bearings carried by the side members of the oar the outer free ends of the lever arms carrying the shoes or jaws 32. It will thus be seen that the car is provided with two pairs of jaws, one at each side of the car, each pair acting to clamp the adjacent guide beam or standard of the elevator shaft as hereinafter described.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of my improved safety appliance will be readily apparent. When the elevator is in proper working position, the cross or connecting cable is tensioned by the weight of the car xagainst the plungers or follower rods will be released, as the stress on the connecting` cable is relieved, and the arms will be forced outward by the contacting follower rods and at the same time the inner ends of the lever arms connected to the links will be thrust apart or outward, and the free ends of the lever arms and the shoes or jaws moved inward into contact with the adjacent guide posts, and held in such clamping position by the force exerted by the tension springs. The elevator car will thus be brought to an immediate stop and held stationary until the necessary repairs can be made.

It will be seen that I have provided a simple yet effective appliance, whereby the ordinary elevator car may be brought to a stop in the case of the breaking of the suspending cable, thus avoiding injury to passengers and damage to the equipment.

While I have herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction herein set forth, as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim l. The combination with a car, of a casing carried thereby, a plurality of members movably connected to the sides of the car, a connect-ingcable connecting said members, a suspending cable for the car connected to t-he connecting cable, a casing extending between the sides of the car, a plurality of followers within said casing, means normally tending to force sa'id followers outward, said followers being held pressed inward by the members at the sides of the car, and clamping members connected to the followers and adapted upon the breaking of the cable to be actuated by the followers to force the clamping members into engagement with the guide beams of the elevator shaft.

2. rlhe combination with a car including slotted side members, of a plurality of arms hinged to the side members and movable in the slots, a connection between said arms, and a suspending cable for the car engaging the connection and normally drawing the arms inward in the slots, a tubular casing having slotted end portions extending between the side members, a plurality of plunger rods within the casing and projecting through bores in the side members, teusion means bearing against said rods and normally tending to force the same outward, laterally extending arms connected to the rods and projecting through the slots in the casing, and lever arms pivoted to the side members of the car, links connecting the ends of the arms with the laterally extending arms, and jaws at the outer ends of the lever arms, the construction and arrangement being such that the jaws are held in inoperative position when the suspending cable exerts a strain on the connection between the side arms, and said jaws are thrown into operative engagement with the guide beams of the elevator shaft when said strain is released.

In testimony whereof I aHix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

F. C. MICHAEL, H. DI GAULT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

